Worship; that is, by invocating the Holy Ghoft to make the ELEMENTS the Body and Blood of CHRIST, and afterwards making a Solemn Oblation of this Sacrifice to GOD, obfecrating and befeeching him, by the Merits of CHRIST'S Death, which we then commemorate, to accept our Perfons and Service, to give us Remiffion of our Sins, and Life Eternal; and making Interceffions at the fame time for the whole Church, the myftical Body of CHRIST, both for the Living, and for the Faithful that reft in Hope.

By what evil Influence this primitive Form came to be mutilated, and the Prayer of Oblation placed after the Diftribution, it is not my Bufinefs to determine; but that it has been Matter of most serious Regret, to all that have made due Reflection on fuch Defects, is plain by what has been faid by the moft eminent Writers in all Times fince. I fhall give one Inftance which comes full home to the Point, and that from the Learned and Judicious Mr. Thorndike (h), where he says, "It is no found Part of GOD's "Church, that obferves not the Laws of the "whole Church; and that if the Eucharift be

not confecrated by the Means, by which the "Church from the beginning hath always confe"crated it, it is not celebrated in the Unity of And a little after, "CHRIST's Church."That the Words of Inftitution are not operatory "in changing the Elements into the Body and Blood 6c of CHRIST, but that it is to be executed, " and always hath been, by the Act of the "Church, upon GOD's Word of Institution,

(b) Juft Weights, &c. p. 94.

praying

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praying that the Holy Ghoft coming down upon the prefent Elements, may make them the Body and "Blood of CHRIST.

The Mixture of Water with the Euchariftick Wine, as it's enjoyn'd by the First Liturgy, is alfo agreeable to the Practice of the whole Church, always and every where. It is generally held to be an Apoftolical Tradition. St. Irenans, St. Juftin Martyr, St. Hierom, St. Chryfoftom, St. Auguftin, St. Cyprian, all of them bear Testimony to the Ufe and Tradition of it. St. Clement (i) Mindful of thofe Things which he (CHRIST) hath fuffered for us, we fulfil his Ordinance For in the Night wherein he was betray'd he took Bread, &c. and in like manner mingling the Chalice with Wine and Water, and Janctifying it, he gave it to his Difciples.

St. Cypr. (k) Dominica fervetur Traditio. That the Traditions of our Lord may be observed. He fhews the myftical Signification of itWhen the Water is mingled with the Wine in the Cup, the People are united to JESUS CHRIST; and the Multitude of Believers are gathered together, and joyned to him; in whom they believe. This Conjunction and Mixture of Water and Wine in the Cup of our LORD is fo done that it cannot be Separated, to fignify that nothing can Separate the Church from CHRIST, &c.

The Mixture of Wine and Water then is an exprefs Symbol of the Union that Chriftians have, or may have with CHRIST, it being the Design and Nature of this Sacrifice, to unite

(i) Conftit. Lib. 8. C. 17. (k) Ad Cærilium, Lib. 2. Epift. 3.

Our

our Souls to God. And it is expreffive and fignificant of our Saviour's Paffion, as it reprefents the Blood and Water that flowed' from his Side when it was pierced with a Spear; and therefore in the Greek Church, the Priest pouring in both the Wine and the Water at the fame time into the Chalice, pronounceth thefe Words, And forthwith iffued out Blood and Water, St. Joh. xix. 34. To this purpofe St. Chryfoft. (a) That which is in the Chalice is that which flowed from his Side. And St. Aug. (b) Take this in the Bread which hung on the Crofs; take that in the Cup which flowed from the Side of CHRIST. The Mystery is certainly better reprefented in a mixt than an unmixt Cup, and the uninterrupted Practice of the Church, built upon Apoftolical Tradition and Precept, as the forementioned Council did determine, seems to argue moft ftrongly for it.

In the First Liturgy, in the Action of Confe cration, the Elements were figned with the Crofs; and why figning with the Crofs fhould be retained in Baptifm, and omitted in the other Sacrament, I cannot apprehend, the Practice for the one being as Antient as for the other, from the moft early Times: St. Cyprian (c) faith, The Church doth all the SACRAMENTS by Virtue of the CROSS; nothing can be fanctified, nothing confecrated without the Crofs. And St. Chryfoftom, (d) All Things which conduce to our Salvation are confummated by the Crofs: For when we are regenerated (Baptized) the Crofs of our Lord is prefent,

(a) Hom. 24. in 1 Corinth. phytos. Matth.

(c) Lib. de Bapt.

(b) Serm. ad Neo(d) Hom. 55. in xvi.

L

when

when we are nourished with the Holy Food [i. e. the Eucharift] when we are, &c.

St. Aug. (e) What is the Sign of CHRIST, which all know, but the Crofs of Chrift? Without which Sign, either in the Forehead of the "Believers, or in the Water wherein they are baptized, or in the Oyl with which they are anointed, or in the Chrifm when they are con firmed, or in the Sacrifice, whereby we are fed, nothing of them is rightly done.

I fhall add one Teftimony more out of Tertullian (f), Caro fignatur ut anima muniatur, which defcribes the Practice of the Chriftians of his Time; "We fign our Foreheads with the Sign "of the Crofs at our Progrefs and Motion, at our going forth and coming in, at our putting on our Cloaths and Shoes, at washing our Hands, at Table, at the coming of the Lights, going to our Beds, and fitting down, 66 and to whatsoever we turn our felves.

I might add a great many Teftimonies out of the early Fathers, St. Ignatius, St. Justin Martyr, Origen, St. Cyril of Jerufalem, Eufebius in the Life of Conftantine, &c. who all bear witnefs to the religious Ufe of the Sign of the Cross, as the Christians Trophy against the Power of the Prince of this World, but fhall forbear it; the Enfigns and Banners under which we fight, the Diadems and Coins of all Chriftian Princes bear witness to the conftant Ufe of it; I hope there are none fo fond of Contradiction, as to give up thofe early Ages in which it was practised for

(e) Tract. 118. in Jo. (f) De Corona militis.

Times

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Times of Popery, or to affert that Conftantine the First Chriftian Emperor, who extirpated IdoLatry, did only change it, and introduce another, when he fet up that Salutary Sign in all Parts of his Dominions.

In the First Liturgy, both in the Euchariftick Service, and Office for Burial of the Dead, they made à Commemoration of Saints, and prayed in fome proper Forms for the Souls of the Faithful deceased; which Commemoration was again brought in, on the Review after the RESTORATION; but the reftraining Claufe of Militant on Earth was left, which little favoured this Commemoration, and manifeftly excluded the Catholick Practice of Prayers for our Brethren, departed. This Corruption of the first Liturgy, and the woful Deficiency in the most Solemn Service of the prefent, is what has been all along lamented by the pious and learned of the Reformed Churches. I fhall not therefore need go back to the early Practice of the Church for Teftimonies to this important Truth, the Liturgies of all Ages, the Writings of all the Fathers, the uninterrupted Practice of it in the Greek and Latin Churches, are irrefragable Witneffes; nor is there any Usage of lefs interrupted Continuance than this, fo that in Fifteen Hundred Years there never appeared any that oppofed it, fave one Aerius, who was therefore branded with the infamous Note of a Heretick, particularly by St. Epiphanius and St. Auguftin.

St. Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, the Metropolis of the Ifle of Cyprus, one well studied in Herefies, and in all the Doctrines of the Church, thus taxes that bold Heretick in his Anfwer